


Welcome to the New Age

by lcsmith442



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers Family, Bucky Barnes Has PTSD, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 15:37:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4485027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lcsmith442/pseuds/lcsmith442
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Bucky moves in with Steve into the Avengers Tower, life changes. Between trying to figure out who he was long ago, and dealing with the new world, Bucky's life is about to become a little crazy. Add a little romance, and voila; chaos</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Welcome to Casa del Tony." Tony said with a smug grin on his face.

Bucky walked into the tower with his small box of belongings and looked around in wonder. The place was amazing. He still had no idea what half the stuff in the place was, but he had to admit, it was pretty great.

Sam walked in shortly after with a considerably larger load. Sam would be getting his very own floor in the tower, specific to him. Bucky however, was moving in with Steve, a man he once knew. He was pretty nervous.

Bucky knew that Steve was once his best friend. But Bucky wasn't Bucky anymore. He had been changed and sculpted by HYDRA.

He was snapped out of his worried thoughts by Tony's voice.

"Sam, you're gonna be up on floor 7, second to top, between Clint and myself. Bucky, you'll be with Steve on the fourth floor. Sam, would you show our senior citizen how to use the elevator please?" Bucky sent a glare his way as Sam chuckled and motioned for him to follow.

Sam pressed a button on the wall, and the wall in front of them opened. They stepped into the elevator, and Sam pressed another button. From across the elevator, Bucky glared at Sam, trying to intimidate him. He didn't need help from some maniac with wings. He was a Russian super soldier. He had a metal arm. He didn't need anyone.

The room made a dinging noise and the doors re-opened. Bucky stepped out into a cozy living room, similar to the one he had lived in a very long time ago. The door behind him closed leaving Bucky alone in his strange new environment. Steve burst out from behind the couch.

"SURPRISE, BUCK!" he yelled.

Bucky dropped his box in fright and lunged forward, screaming something unintelligible in Russian.

"Woah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Steve was clearly a bit scared. He knew Bucky wouldn't be the same, but he'd still hoped. Bucky just glared at Steve and bent over to pick up the few belongings he had scattered across their living room. Steve rushed over to help.

"Here let me-"

"No. I don't need help from anyone, least of all you."

Steve stepped away hurriedly, trying to keep his composure. He bit his lip in an attempt to hold back the tears. This wasn't how he had wanted the reunion to go.

Bucky looked around the room, taking it all in. He walked into the next room, and found a small kitchen. It had only the essentials, which was fine because Bucky ate very little. He continued through into another hallway. The first door he came to led into a bathroom. It was functional and simple. Perfect for two men trying to adjust to a world not made for them. He left and walked into the next room he came to. It was red, and had a neatly made bed with a small pile of pillows on top. On one wall, there was an American flag. On another, a calendar. This was clearly Steve's room. Against the flag wall, there was a tall dresser, with many pictures and memoirs from the past on top. He took a step closer. The pictures were faded, but he could still see what they once were. He recognized a picture of Steve's parents and a couple of Steve's once girlfriend Peggy. But the picture that was largest and right in the middle was the one that intrigued Bucky. It was him. His hair was considerably shorter, and he had much less stubble, and the Bucky in the photo had a smile on, but it was clearly him. Bucky inspected the photo for a moment before hearing a creaking behind him. He whipped around to find Steve standing there, tears running down his face.

"Oh Buck." Steve said softly.

Bucky watched Steve like a deer in headlights. Part of him, the human part, wanted to comfort the man. He may not know Steve anymore, but he still needed help. The other part felt something like joy. Steve eventually calmed down enough to stand up straight and turn away.

"Follow me." He said, his voice now harsh.

Steve led Bucky a bit further down the hall to the next room. He opened the door and motioned to go in. Bucky stepped in and looked around. The walls in here were blank, the dresser empty and the bed made with clean sheets.

"This is your room. I'll leave you to pack. If you need anything, I'll be around." Steve said before leaving hurriedly.

Bucky set his box down on the bed before sitting down himself. He put his head between his hands and willed his humanity to come back to him. After a while of quiet, he stood and began putting away his few belongings. A small gun, a couple sets of clothes, all of them HYDRA issued, and a small utility belt. This was all Bucky had. It filled 3 drawers.

With his boxes unpacked, Bucky laid down on the made bed and fell into the most secure sleep he'd had in years.


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky's eyes fluttered open and he stretched. He heard music from down the hall and smelled something delicious. He rolled out of bed, looked momentarily in the mirror and attempted to battle his fluff ball of bed head. He trudged out of his room, dragging his feet louder than he'd ever thought humanly possible. He stepped into the bathroom and brushed his teeth before walking out into the kitchen. Before him was the strangest sight he'd ever seen. 

Steve was in the middle of the kitchen, holding a frying pan and dancing to the music coming from the next room. Bucky hid around the corner, hoping to see more. Steve twirled from the stove, to the microwave, to the sink, and back to the stove. He continued in this fashion until the next song came on. This one was faster, and Bucky couldn't even understand the lyrics. It just sounded like a lot of booming with some mumbled words and a whiny guitar. Steve began to dance differently to this one. Bucky watched with fascination as Steve put down the pan, stuck his rear out and began shaking it with his hands on his knees. Whatever this was, Bucky was horrified by it. Steve was getting more and more into it, shaking faster and faster. Bucky couldn't help himself and let out a tiny snorting laugh. Steve stopped, and stood upright quickly. Bucky stepped out from behind the wall slowly. Steve blushed.

"What in the name of god was that?" Bucky asked, trying to keep from laughing.

"I- uh. Uhm. That... Tha- it. Uh. That was this new dance that all the kids are doing now. They call it twerking." Steve said with his face in his hands.

"Twerking? What kind of a name is that?" Bucky asked.

"I'm not sure, but... oh god, I'm so sorry you had to see that buck. I'm so embarrassed." Steve said.

Tension filled the air. Neither man knew what to say. Steve went back to fixing breakfast as Bucky explored the living room more thoroughly. He sat on both couches and chairs, pushed all the buttons on the TV remotes, and broke at least 3 of Steve's old collectibles that were on the shelf above the TV. 

After about 15 minutes, Bucky was sitting on the couch, scared to touch anything else. He still couldn't figure out how to turn off the TV, which had on some children's program that he thought was too colorful and happy. Steve poked his head into the room.

"Hey Buck I made extra eggs if you want any. They're scrambled with cheese, just the way you like them." Steve said, the last bit almost to himself. 

"Yeah I'll have some." 

Bucky walked back into the kitchen. Steve handed him a plate and walked back into the living room. He flopped on the couch and grabbed the remote to the TV. He tried pushing the buttons, but the idiotic kids show wouldn't turn off. 

"Buck, what did you do?" Steve asked Bucky, becoming frustrated with the remote. He wasn't good with electronics, but he knew Bucky had really screwed it up. 

He stood up and walked to the phone. "I'm gonna call Bruce to come fix this." 

Steve picked up the phone and waited for Bruce to pick up. 

"Hey Bruce, it's Steve!" 

"..."

"Yeah I'm good, how are you?" 

"..."

"That's great. So, I need a bit of help with something."

"..."

"No Bruce I don't need a date."

"..." 

"No!"

"..."

"Just come up here ok? Please?"

"..."

"Okay thanks pal. See you in 5."

Steve hung up the phone as Bucky watched him.

"Bruce will be up in a couple minutes to fix it." Steve said stirring back down.

"So why is he trying to get you a date?" Bucky asked.

"He thinks I need to let go of my past life and move on. He says it'll be good for me, but I'm not much for that stuff." Steve responded, sounding slightly annoyed. 

A few minutes later, the elevator dinged and out walked Bruce Banner. He had unruly hair, a purple button down shirt and black dress pants. 

"So what did you do Steve?" He asked, walking into the living room. 

Bucky observed the man. Bruce looked at Bucky. 

"Oh. You must be Bucky. Tony said you were moving in, but I didn't know it would be so soon."

"Bucky, this is Bruce." Steve told Bucky.

Bucky only glared in response. 

"Ooooookay. So Steve, what's the problem?" Bruce asked.

"I'm not sure, the TV won't change channels or turn off. I've tried everything." Steve said.

Bruce slid the tv away from the wall and moved behind it. 

"Well everything's right back there, let me see the remote." 

Steve handed over the remote and Bruce inspected it. 

"Ah. Here's the issue. Someone took out the batteries." Bruce said. 

Steve turned and gave Bucky a look. Bucky turned away. 

"Well thanks Bruce. Don't know what I'd do without you." Steve told Bruce.

"Any time Steve. See you later. Nice to meet you Bucky." Bruce said, waving as he stepped into the elevator. 

"Oh Buck, what am I going to do with you?" Steve asked himself before flopping down on the couch next to him.

"Steve?" Bucky asked timidly.

"Yeah Buck?" Steve asked. 

"Would you teach me how to use the remote?" Bucky asked, still glaring.

"Sure." Steve said with a chuckle.


	3. Chapter 3

After 7 hours straight of TV, Bucky decided to get up. He was addicted to the point of no return. He'd let Steve make a list of suggestions for him of shows to watch, and after 3 days, Bucky had finished 3 seasons of Supernatural. He'd only stopped for food and bathroom breaks, and he'd slept on the couch. It was such a contrast from his old life. Here, he could be as lazy as he wanted, and if that meant spending his life on the couch watching sappy TV shows, then by God, that's what he would do. 

He had yet to meet the rest of the Avengers. Steve had gone out a couple times to hang out with them, and every time he'd asked Bucky to come along, but Bucky was perfectly content alone. Bucky's new best friend had become Jarvis. Jarvis wasn't overly friendly, and wasn't constantly asking whether he was okay. Bucky preferred friends who didn't speak unless spoken to. Steve did not fit this criteria.

Bucky wandered down the hall on his way to the bathroom. Something at the end of the hall caught his eye. It was a door. It occurred to him that he still hadn't been exploring in the rest of the rooms in the apartment. Now that Steve was gone, this was a great time to do it. 

Bucky continued until the end of the hallway. He tried the handle on the first door after his. Locked. He continued on to the next one. That one was locked too. He tried the final door. Locked again. Bucky turned around and walked down the hall, trying to think where Steve might keep the keys to the mystery rooms. 

Bucky turned into Steve's room. He looked at the dresser. No keys on top of it. He began opening drawers. Shirts in one, pants in another, socks in a third and... American flag underwear? Steve had quite the underwear collection. Everything from boxers to briefs, all in patriotic prints.

'Sometimes, there's a limit' Bucky thought.

He closed the drawer and continued the search. He searched the bed, still nothing to be found. He opened the closet. Yet more patriotic memorabilia lined the walls and shelves. But there, on the wall, was a set of keys. Bucky grabbed them and left the room, trying to escape from the patriotic nightmare.


	4. Chapter 4

As Bucky walked down the hall, he became nervous. What was he going to find in the rooms? Why would Steve lock them? So many questions were going through his mind. Since Steve was out at dinner with Sam, Natasha and Clint, Bucky figured he was safe for a while. 

Bucky reached the first locked door and hesitantly put the key into the lock and turned. He turned the knob and opened the door. It was a small room, not much more than a closet. Bucky flipped the light switch. There was a desk on one wall, littered with notes and paper. He stepped closer, trying to figure out what was written on them. 

One was titled "Amnesia: memory loss and curing it." Another was filled with doodles. What intrigued Bucky, however, was the paper that had fallen on the floor. It was titled "The Winter Soldier"

That was him. Why was Steve researching him? The notes taken were scrawled and messy. It would take Bucky a little while to decipher them. But now, he didn't have that time. He grabbed the papers and put them in his pocket. He decided to continue with his exploration. Across from the desk, there was a bookshelf. Countless books, on many topics, in many languages filled the shelves. Where had Steve learned all these languages? Had he read all the books? Bucky searched through the titles for a book he might recognize. Many of the titles were foreign to him. 

At the end of the small area, there was another door. This one was different from the rest. It had a key pad, and a sleek, modern design. Bucky tried to think back. He tried pass codes he remembered Steve using before. None of them worked. He tried Steve's birthday. Still nothing. Then, Bucky got an idea. He tried his own birthdate. The door made a clicking noise and opened. Bucky stepped inside, flicking on the light. This room was smaller than the last, and in the middle, there was a large glass case containing Steve's suit. The original Captain America suit. Other suits lined the walls, each in their own glass case. Bucky was beginning to realize what a hoarder Steve was. 

He examined all the suits. Some were ripped, some repaired, a couple were stained with blood, but they were all his. 

Once Bucky had thoroughly explored the room, he walked back into the hallway. 

'Onto the next.' He thought.

The next room opened into a large open area. Various weapons lined the wall to his left. Knives, guns, shields, you name it, Steve had it. It seemed to be a training area. There was a touch screen to Bucky's right. He looked it over and found that there were different settings. One setting made targets rise from the floor. Another made various boxes and terrain. The last created hologram people. It was designed to be a moving target practice. 

'I'll have to come back some time' Bucky thought.

He turned and left for the third room. Bucky tried the key, but it didn't fit. It must be a different key, he thought. He walked back into Steve's room to return the key and look for the other. He could have just asked Jarvis, but he figured there must be some way to track the commands people gave Jarvis, and he didn't want to be caught snooping through Steve's things. 

He have the entire room another look over before admitting defeat. He walked back into his room and sat down on the bed. From his pocket, he pulled out the notes he'd found in Steve's office. 

He tried to think where the safest place would be for them. He couldn't have Steve find them, that was certain. He lifted the bed. There was nowhere to hide them there. Bucky eventually decided to just stuff them under the dresser. 

He wandered back into the kitchen, made himself a sandwich and sat down on the couch just as Steve walked in. His timing could not have been better.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey-a Buck." Steve said, walking into the kitchen and putting his keys down on the counter.

"Steve." Bucky replied coldly.

Steve sighed heavily. "Bucky, you can't just sit around in here. You're going to have to meet the rest of the team at some point. Watching television all day is fine sometimes, but you need to get out in the world. Explore a bit. Become a part of this strange new society. There are so many opportunities for you Buck! All you have to do is... Are you even listening to me?"

Bucky had gone back to his show. He'd stopped listening after about the third sentence. 

The tv went blank and Steve stood in front of it. 

"Bucky I'm serious. You need to do something. No more tv for you." Steve said, very serious this time.

Bucky huffed, blowing his hair up off his forehead. He got up, grabbed what he needed from his little camp and stormed back from his room.

Steve wondered how he was going to get Bucky out into the world. He couldn't stay in his room for forever. There was hardly anything in there. When he came out, Steve decided, he'd ambush him. Maybe even get the other Avengers to help him.

Steve wanted so desperately to help Bucky. Teach him the ways of the time, explore this new world together. But now, he worried, they would never get to. Bucky's hostility hadn't decreased since he'd moved in. He was broken. He had the same face as the Bucky he once knew, but that was the only similarity. This Bucky was the Winter Soldier. He had no heart, no soul, not even a fragment of love left. 

In this moment, Steve realized how much he loved Bucky. Not only as a brother, but as a friend, as family. Bucky was there for him when he had nothing. They had saved each other so many times. When they were so poor they couldn't afford heat, they took care of each other. When Steve's mother died, Bucky was there every day with food and a new game to take his mind off the tragedy. Bucky was irreplaceable.

He'd never have that Bucky again. He wished he could love the new Bucky, but he was hard, more rock than human. There was no way to bring back his Bucky. The Winter Soldier would always be a part of him, whether Steve liked it or not.

Steve walked into his room. He picked up the old, fading picture of Bucky in their young days. The days when they only had each other. He looked at it, thinking of what might have been. It was all his fault. None of this would have happened had Steve stretched the smallest bit further on that train. He could have grabbed Bucky's hand and not let go. But instead, he watched his friend fall. It killed Steve every day, knowing that he caused this. Countless times, he was told it wasn't his fault, that he had no control over it, but Steve knew the truth. He had killed Bucky Barnes, and he was never going to forgive himself.


	6. Chapter 6

Bucky woke up to his blinds being ripped open. He rolled over, attempting to go back to sleep. He hadn't slept in forever. Whenever he'd slept, the nightmares came back. But something about being back with Steve made him feel safe. He felt that no one could harm him as he slept. This was the first sleep he'd had in who knows how long. He was mildly ticked that Steve had dared to disturb him. 

"Rise and shine, princess." Steve said, pulling the covers off of Bucky. 

Bucky fought back, pulling them back up. 

"Go away Steve." Bucky said, his voice low and husky. 

Steve shook his head. 

"Buck, you gotta get up, today's important." Steve said, becoming increasingly frustrated. 

"Ten... more... minu-" Bucky was out cold. 

Steve sighed and left. He only had three hours to get Bucky up and make him presentable. Today was the day he was going to meet the team. He had manners to go over, things not to say, countless things that could make or break him. He really didn't want him to mess this up. If this went badly, Tony may not let him stay. He needed Bucky more than anything right now. Now that he was back in his life, Steve wasn't letting him go.

As promised, ten minutes later, Bucky trudged into the kitchen in gray boxers and one of Steve's old shirts. Steve had loved that shirt, and the fact that Bucky was wearing it made his heart skip a beat for some strange, unknown reason. 

"I waan cuffie." Bucky slurred, yawning and rubbing his eyes. 

"Here you are, champ." Steve said, giving him a mug. 

Bucky downed it in a gulp. 

"So what is so important about today?" he asked, still mostly asleep.

"Today, I'm going to introduce you to the team. Today could really make or break you. You've gotta be on your best behavior today." 

"I'm not five Steve. I know what I'm doing. You're forgetting that I had to go on secret missions and such. I know manners." Bucky said, getting annoyed.

"Alright. I have some stuff we need to go over before the meeting, but first, you need to get ready." Steve said.

Bucky sighed in acceptance and walked into the bathroom. He was glad that his arm was waterproof, otherwise, it would make showering a much more difficult situation. Bucky hopped in the shower. As he was rinsing the grime from the past week or more out of his hair, the nerves came. What if they didn't like him? Where would he go? As much as he hated to admit it, he needed Steve. Now that he finally had a chance for an identity, he wasn't too keen on giving the only person who could help recreate it up. 

Bucky got out of the shower and dried off. He wrapped the towel around his waist and strolled into the kitchen. 

"Steve, what do you want me to wear? I don't have much, just your old clothes and my old HYDRA gear." Bucky asked hesitantly. 

Steve began to panic. He hadn't thought about what Bucky was going to wear. He only had about two hours before the meeting. He needed that time to give Bucky his briefing. 

"Steve? STEVE!" Bucky yelled, standing very close.

"Huh- What?" Steve said snapping out of his panicked daze.

"Are you okay?" Bucky asked, still close.

"I forgot clothes. How could I be so STUPID?" Steve said, smacking himself in the head repeatedly. 

Suddenly, a plan came to Steve. He already had all the notes he wanted to go over with Bucky, why not just give them to him to read while Steve shopped? 

"Wait. Buck, I'm going to give you some notes, I want you to read them over while I run out. What size are you?"

"I'm not sure how the sizes work now, I'm smaller than you, that I know." Bucky said, catching what Steve was getting at. 

Steve handed Bucky the notes, yelled something about leftovers in the fridge and left. 

Bucky began to read over the notes Steve had typed up. They were filled with information on each Avenger. Ways to make them like him, what not to say to each, and more. It was basically a lifeline for the meeting. 

Bucky's mind drifted. He knew he had to mind his manners, but what if he couldn't control it? What if he wasn't good enough? He didn't want to make Steve look bad in front of his friends. He began thinking about his appearance. His long, stringy hair became that of a homeless man's in his mind; his stubble less dangerous and more criminal. Everything about him was inadequate. How was he going to make a good impression when he couldn't even like himself? 

All the people he'd killed, all the times he'd laughed at other's pain. It suddenly became too much for James Buchanan Barnes. He couldn't think straight. He walked into the bathroom, found one of Steve's prescriptions, and praying that it would work, downed the bottle.


End file.
